The holiday spread

Each year just after Thanksgiving and just before/after Christmas I get A LOT of phone calls from clients because their pet has eaten chocolate of some kind, has diarrhea, is vomiting etc.. etc.. and they don't know why.
So here is a small list of things that you should NOT be feeding Fido or Fluffy:
Chocolate, the darker it is the more toxic it is to your pet.
Onions
Garlic
Grapes/Raisins
Anything that has a pit
Olives
Any kind of nut
Anything that has ANY kind of artificial sweetener
Marsh mellows

If your pet should ingest any of these things here is an easy way to make them vomit it back up.
First you are going to want to get the following things:
Hydrogen Peroxide and an open container to hold it in once you have measured it.
A turkey baster that you don't care about ;)
A measuring cup/tablespoon
A bath tub and a quiet room

**** The Hydrogen Peroxide that I am referring to is just the regular stuff in the brown bottle that you can buy in the first aid section at your grocery store.***

Okay so now that you have all of those things you are going to want to measure your Hydrogen Peroxide. I recommend using these amounts for different size breeds.
Large Breeds need about 1/2 a cup to 1 cup of Hydrogen peroxide (35 lbs and up)
Medium Breeds need about 1/4 to a 1/2 cup of Hydrogen peroxide (15-35lbs)
Small breeds need about 2 tbsp to a 1/4 of a cup of hydrogen peroxide (0-15 lbs)
You will then pour your Hydrogen Peroxide into your open container, suck it up with your turkey baster, then standing BEHIND your pet you are going to open its mouth, stick the turkey baster in the back of the mouth and SQUEEZE it all in! What follows is your pet either pretty much instantly vomiting (hence the need to be BEHIND your pet and in a bath tub/walk in shower) if your pet does not vomit with in 15-20 minutes of you doing this do it one more time.. if another 15 minutes passes and still no vomiting call your vet and take your pet in so that they can give stronger meds to make your pet vomit. If your pet does vomit he/she may do so a couple times. Now after all of this if your pet vomits most of what they ingested and your are sure they are done vomiting, you are going to want to put them in a quiet room to rest for a little bit. Now if Fido/Fluffy just so happens to sneak something or a lot of something off of a plate/table or someone feeds your pet, even though you make them vomit, you can probably expect diarrhea for a couple days. Here are a couple of options for you to try before making the call to make an appointment to see your vet. (If the diarrhea is still persisting I wouldn't wait more than 2 days to see a vet.)

1. DON'T let your pet just fill up on water. Yes they are going be thirsty from the diarrhea but doing this will irritate their intestines more and the water will just go right through them. So give them small frequent drinks of water.
2. Feed a gentle diet. Chicken boiled in water with white rice or serve boiled chicken with low fat cottage cheese with a little bit of rice.
   
3. You can add a couple tablespoons of PURE 100% pumpkin to their food.

DO NOT EVER GIVE YOUR PET ANYTHING LIKE PEPTO-BISMOL OR MYLANTA AS THESE TYPES OF THINGS CONTAIN ASPIRIN LIKE PRODUCTS WHICH WILL THEN JUST TARE YOU PETS INTESTINES UP EVEN MORE!

Now here are some options for your pet that you can feed during the big holiday dinners, calories included. It is called DR. Ernies Thanksgiving Day menu.
This meal is ideal for a 20-50 pound dog but you can adjust the amounts according to your pets size.

Salad:
Spinach, Baby Carrots (about 4), and apple cubes about 6 1/2" cubes (approx. 25 calories)

Main Course:
Turkey-roasted breast without the skin/gravy about 2 oz (approx 75 calories
Cooked sweet potato- 1/4 of a large one (approx. 40 calories)
Green beans- 1/2 a cup (approx 8 calories)

Dessert
100% PURE canned pumpkin- 1/4 cup (approx 20 calories)
Graham Crackers plain 1/2 sheet (2 crackers) ( approx 30 calories)
Honey-1/2 tsp.- (approx 12 calories) with a pinch of Cinnamon Spice


I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

DISCLAIMER: I am not a veterinarian and I can not diagnose or prescribe medications for your pet. If you think your pet is having a medical emergency or needs diagnosing please seek medical attention from your veterinarian immediately.